#aviation may be ‘Ultra-Safe’ in terms of getting passengers from A to B, however, when it comes to Occupational Health & Safety, it is anything but.
Instead, they avoid diagnosis (as reported by William Hoffman, MD ) and in some cases self-diagnose and self-prescribe. This results in a situation where many pilots will not disclose health issues to their employer or their doctor. Most people don’t fear the short- & long-term career implications. The big difference is most people don’t risk having their salaries cut (or withdrawn completely) if they disclose health issues. I also firmly believe 1,000’s of pilots across the world are struggling with issues that are common among humans. Are you surprised a pilot ‘self-medicated’ and knowingly broke rules?
